Seal of Bond
by Canna
Summary: AU. Shoukanjuus are magical creatures with supernatural powers. Becoming a Tamer and capturing Shoukanjuus has always been Uzumaki Naruto's dream. However, during the Tamer exam, Naruto fell off a cliff and encountered one of the legendary creatures that were only believed to be myths. An S-rank Shoukanjuu. Yaoi! ItaNaru future NaruIta. Seme Naru, Uke Ita! Rated "M" in future.
1. Tamer

_Beta'd by EmelyeUchiha_

* * *

"Twin Serpent…," The petite boy with sun kissed hair and sky-coloured eyes muttered as he crouched in front of the display window that was showcasing a baby, two-headed snake with glimmering, crimson scales. He heaved out a heavy sigh and placed a finger against the glass as he watched the heads snap at him, trying to get a bite of his flesh.

"Mommy, pleeeease? I really want this one!" A voice shouted, catching the teen's attention. He turned to see a little girl pointing at the split tailed kitten that was on the lower level of the display window.

"I told you, Moegi. When you become a Tamer you'll be able to catch as many of these as you want," the mother of the girl said with a smile.

The girl pouted. "But I don't even know if I can become one! What if I fail and can't get my partner?"

Her words were unknowingly stabbing into the teen's heart like arrows. Frowning deeply, he turned back to the two-headed serpent and let out another long sigh.

"Fail huh?" Cornflower blue eyes watched as a part-timer of the shop came and dumped some small chunks of dried meat into the tank. At the sight of its meal, the serpent quickly made its way over and began gulping down its food. Heaving another sigh, the blond pushed himself onto his feet. Just when he was about to walk away, a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"Naruto-kun."

The teen spun around, meeting a pale skinned youth with long, black hair tied into a bun at the back of his head.

"Haku!" He jumped in surprise, "I thought you were out on a mission." The feminine boy smiled at his blond friend's shocked face.

"I just got back," he replied simply. Feeling a nudge at his knee, Naruto looked down to see a large, white creature with long, pointed ears and sharp, golden eyes. It was extremely slim with a long, silky tail that the blond swore was at least two meters long.

"Hey, Koyuki," he greeted as he bent down and patted the creature between the ears. He smiled when his fingers came in contact with the creature's soft white fur.

"You seemed quite down. You didn't get bully again, did you?" Haku asked, his brown eyes narrowing as a frown tugged over his flawless face.

"There's no way I'd be down from that," Naruto laughed weakly, not even bothered with hiding the fact that he indeed did get bullied. It wasn't any secret. Everyone in this entire village knew that Naruto was a favourite target by the bullies from the Tamer Academy, but nobody aside from his only two friends cared.

No matter how much the blond was beaten up, it was always his fault. The bullies made up stories to push the blames onto him. The teachers would always believe them, and give the innocent blond detentions for things he suffered for. They contacted the bullies' parents, retelling the stories and the parents would then spread nasty things about Naruto around the village. That was why whenever Naruto got beaten, he could always see the villagers' satisfied faces. His fellow students never tried to help. They either believed the false stories like everyone else, or they simply didn't want to get close to him in fear of being dragged into the bullying as well. In the end, it was always his fault. Despite all of it, the blond was never angry.

He was long used to it.

"I'm just worried about the exam…" Naruto mumbled with a depressing sigh. Haku parted his lips, about to question, when he noticed the nasty looks of the passing villagers.

"Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere else," he spoke in an almost inaudible voice, glaring coldly at anyone who dared to look over. "Koyuki." Haku's voice had now risen. At its master's call, Koyuki squeaked, jumping onto Haku's shoulder and flinging its long tail around Naruto.

"Wait—Haku!" The blond tried to struggle, but he was already wrapped up like a cocoon within Koyuki's tail. Naruto yelped when he felt his entire body being lifted. His body began being moved at a pace so fast that he felt as though his heart would be ripped out by the force.

About half a minute later, he fell onto the soft blades of grass with a strong urge to throw up the breakfast he had just eaten. He clutched onto his head as he tried to hold back the nauseous feeling. No matter how long Naruto had been with the older boy, he could never get used to his speed.

"I told you not to do that…argh…"

"Sorry, but this is the fastest way." Haku laughed softly as he crouched down beside his friend and gently rubbed the other's back. "If you would just run on your own then I wouldn't need Koyuki to carry you," the brunette said, not missing the sudden tenseness of the blond's muscles. At the sight, Haku couldn't help but sigh. "I don't understand why you hold yourself back in front of the villagers," the pale boy spoke softly, "You asked me to train your agility, and I did. You're improving a lot, Naruto-kun. I can tell you that none of the students at the academy can match your speed. Why are you hiding it?"

"It's not like I'm hiding it. It just feels…" Naruto explored his mind for the words he was looking for as he rolled onto his back. He stared at the blue sky, searching to see if he could catch a glimpse of any cloud. "I mean, I'm pretty much used to all this. I don't know…I just…it feels weird, you know? I'm used to all of this…and besides, if I show them what I could do, Fusao and the others would only bully me more."

Haku frowned at his friend's word. As usual, he couldn't understand Naruto's reasoning. He wanted to tell the blond his opinion, but knew he wouldn't listen, as it had happened too many times. Due to the constant bullying and bad treatment from the villagers, the blond became too reserved. If things could be avoided, he'd avoid them at all cost and wouldn't take chances. The brunette sat back, looking around before spotting Koyuki chasing a yellow butterfly across the meadow.

"So," Haku began, deciding to change back to the main topic, "by exam, am I correct to assume it's the Seal of Bond?"

"Yeah…," Naruto sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. He seriously needed to stop doing that. "I'm just a bit worried. What if I can't catch a partner? Then I'll be disqualified and have to wait for another year before I get to take it again."

"You're thinking too much, Naruto-kun. It isn't as hard as you make it to be. All you need to do is to find a Shoukanjuu* and tame it."

"Easier said than done." The blond continued to stare at the sky. "We don't learn elemental jutsu until after we graduate from the Academy and get an apprenticeship with a professional Tamer. You and Gaara got bloodline limit jutsus, so you didn't have to worry about it when you two took the test last year."

"Taming a Shoukanjuu doesn't always mean you must have ninjutsu," Haku replied, "Although it's true that students with bloodline limit will have already mastered some jutsus due to their clan, there are many who haven't. Those students are in the same boat as you. Besides, if it's ninjutsu, you have _that_don't you?"

"But I still haven't mastered that yet," Naruto whispered, staring at the sky for a couple more seconds before he used his elbows to push himself up.

"Have you decided on what kind of Shoukanjuu you want?" Haku asked, as Koyuki hopped back over to its master and nested itself comfortably in his lap.

"Not yet. I'm still thinking on that one."

The brunette just smiled faintly before glancing up to realize how late it was getting. "Well, I must be getting back. I still have training to do with Zabuza-san. I can't keep him waiting."

"You're lucky to have such a good master." Naruto smiled as pushed himself up. When he noticed Koyuki edging towards him, he quickly jumped back. "I can run back myself!"

Haku chuckled at the blond's reaction. With a wave of his hand, the rabbit-like Shoukanjuu quickly returned back to his side.

"I have an encyclopaedia of Shoukanjuus and their habitats. I'll have Koyuki bring it over to you later."

"That'd be great! Thanks, Haku."

"No problem. Naruto-kun," Haku held up his hand, performing a half ram sign, "good night."

"Good night," Naruto said as he watched both Haku and Koyuki disappear into a whirlwind of leaves. After they had left, the blond stood around for a couple more minutes before he decided to go home as well.

With a kick off the ground, he vanished from the peaceful meadow.

"I'm back!" Naruto called as he walked into the worn out apartment he called home, flicking the light on. His cerulean eyes glanced around the empty room before a sad smile formed over his lips. "Not like anyone's waiting…," He mumbled to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. When he opened his refrigerator, he sighed upon remembering how he had run out of food. Walking to the sink, the blond grabbed a kettle. He filled it up with water and placed it over the stove. After turning the heat to the max, he pulled out a cup noodle from the cupboard and tore off the lid half way. "Shoukanjuu." He smiled as he leaned against the counter, waiting patiently for the water to boil.

"Wonder what kind I could get," he wondered aloud before frowning at the thought of failing the exam. As the blond pondered over his problems, a sharp whistling sound erupted from the kettle and broke him from his unwelcoming thoughts. He quickly turned off the stove and poured the boiling hot water into the cup noodle. He then sealed the lid, and just as he set the noodles onto the table, Naruto stopped upon hearing a knock against his window. When he looked up, he found himself staring at the white fur of a familiar creature.

"Koyuki!" He hurried over and opened the window.

With a squeak, Koyuki lifted its long tail, revealing the book that Haku had mentioned. "Thank you," the blond said, showing his appreciation. Once he took the book, Koyuki dashed off in a speed that was only a blur in Naruto's eyes. "No wonder Haku was the only that could tame that Shoukanjuu," he chuckled, closing the window as he sat down by his dinner.

"Oh...don't want to get Haku's book dirty," Naruto muttered thoughtfully as he pushed the cup noodle aside. He could always eat it later.

"Let's see…" He set the large book onto the table and opened it to the first page.

"In ancient times, the Shoukanjuu ruled the land," he read out loud, "They have super strength in comparison to humans', and each wields a special element. No one knew how these creatures were blessed with such powers until the birth of the very first Tamer, the Sage of Six Paths. He discovered the logic behind chakra by studying these creatures and obtained the knowledge of chakra elements—this is just history." Naruto sighed as he flipped to the next couple of pages.

"Tamer Career." Naruto stared at the headline for a couple of seconds before deciding that it sounded fairly interesting. He vaguely remembered Iruka mentioning it, but he couldn't really pay attention due to the paper balls being thrown at his head at the time. What else could he have done? Self-study wasn't really his thing, and asking his pineapple-haired teacher would only get him yelled at for not paying attention.

"Tamers are humans with the ability to manipulate chakra and the only ones capable of sealing Shoukanjuu into a contract. Tamers can be separated into five different categories. The first is Seal Master. The Tamer's main purpose is to capture and seal Shoukanjuu. They earn their living by selling to other Tamers or civilians the Shoukanjuus they had captured. Seal Masters are the only ones who can capture A-rank and above Shoukanjuus due to the large quantity of chakra that are required in high level sealing techniques," Naruto read before a smile crossed his face. "Seal Master…that's what my dad was, wasn't he?" He spoke to himself, glancing over to the shelf in the living room which was packed with dozens of scrolls left to him by his parents. Shaking his head, he turned back to the book, wondering what other jobs there were for Tamers.

"Breeder. Tamers often encounter loyalty problems with their Shoukanjuus, especially wild ones they have only recently captured. In order to create a relationship in which to have them obey commands, most bring their Shoukanjuus to Breeders who will then educate them. Shoukanjuus being sold from Breeders are highly desirable as they have higher intelligence than wild ones, and are also better trained in all aspects."

Looking down the page, Naruto smiled at the next job field. "Bounty Hunter. That's mom," he whispered before he began reading, "A Bounty Hunter's main purpose is to hunt down those with Bounties, namely, criminal and deserter Tamers who stray from law and commit crime through Shoukanjuu. As long as there are human or Shoukanjuu needed to be dealt with, they are the ones who are usually hired for the job. That sounds pretty awesome," the blond chuckled, flipping the page to continue.

"Medic. Medics are Tamers with the ability to heal injuries and wounds through the use of chakra. They are welcome in any Tamer teams due to their abilities. They are often the main key to winning a fight against a high level Shoukanjuu or against other Tamers. And lastly, there's the Trainer. That's Kakashi-sensei!" The blond smiled joyfully at the thought of the silver-haired Jounin. Excluding the strange book that never left his hand, and his bad habit of never coming to class on time, Naruto found the man to be pretty cool.

"Trainers are Tamers who specialise in teaching Shoukanjuu chakra control, as well as various jutsus. As a Shoukanjuu rises in ranks, they will gain the ability to manipulate their elements. To access their elements, however, they will need to be taught properly with time and patience. If the Tamer's nature of chakra doesn't match the Shoukanjuu's, then teaching it jutsus would be impossible, thus they are taken to Trainers with the same element as their Shoukanjuu in order to be trained. Trainers are separated into many types, depending on the nature of their jutsu and their individual specialties."

The blond smile as his eyes ran over the words. "Seal Master and Bounty Hunter…," Naruto whispered as he gently caressed the page. "Well, the book doesn't say you can't choose two fields," he sang before noticing the word _rank_ that was mentioned a couple of times. "If I remember correctly, ranks are…" Going back to the index, Naruto searched for a couple of seconds before finding the section he was looking for. Flipping the pages quickly, he soon found the headline _Ranking_ printed in bold.

"Shoukanjuu are separated into five different ranks based on their powers: D-ranks, C-ranks, B-ranks, A-ranks, and finally, S-ranks. Each species of Shoukanjuu has its own habitat. The most common ones are the D-ranks, which can be easily found around the villages and are popular pets to civilians. They cannot mold chakra, thus they are essentially harmless. Before the time humans discovered the ability to manipulate chakra, they sought out areas where only D-rank Shoukanjuus dwelt, and built their villages there, leading to the now Hidden villages' locations.

"C-ranks are often found in deeper woods near the D-ranks' habitat, as D-ranks are easy food sources. Although C-ranks are able to manipulate chakra, they can only use it to enhance their physical build. Unlike D-rank, C-rank Shoukanjuus are able to grow along side of Tamers. With proper training, they will be able to manipulate their specific elements and rise in ranks."

Naruto glanced over some of the pictures of D-rank and C-rank Shoukanjuu. He noticed the two-headed snake he saw in the pet shop there as well, listed under the D-rank category.

"No wonder they had us catch C-ranks for the exam." The blond thought back to his two friends' Shoukanjuu. According to the book and his teachers, a Shoukanjuu grows under a Tamer's care, so it won't ever stay in the same rank unless the Tamer is weak.

"Come to think of it, Koyuki can use water element," Naruto murmured, holding a finger to the page he was reading before quickly flipping to the index to search for the list of Shoukanjuu.

"Silka Hare...page 204." Naruto quickly flipped over the pages until he saw the image of a creature identical to Koyuki.

"Silka Hare is a C-rank Shoukanjuu with the adult reaching nineteen inches tall. They are herbivores, and their daily diet consist of grass and berries. The Silka Hares are the fastest known Shoukanjuu below A-ranks and are impossible to catch without well planned traps. When threatened, they fight with their long tails which have a grip strength of 650 lbs. Once they tangle their enemy in their powerful tail, they proceed to crush their bones." Naruto shivered at the memory of the many times he got tangled within the Shoukanjuu's tail, never once realizing how easy it would be for the small creature to kill him.

The blond thought about checking Gaara's, only to remember that he didn't really know about the sand Tamer's Shoukanjuu. He had only seen it once since, according to Gaara, his Shoukanjuu—Shukaku was its name—was unstable and too dangerous to be let out; so the redhead normally kept it sealed within him. Naruto didn't really understand what Gaara had meant by unstable. When he saw Shukaku, it seemed pretty normal to him, aside from its anti-social nature. Flipping back to the previous pages he was reading, Naruto came under the headline of B-ranks.

"Shoukanjuus that are B-rank or above are not only able to enhance their physical built, but have the ability to control their elements as well. Each type of species has their own element. The five main elements are Fire, Water, Lightning, Wing, and Earth. Like humans, some also have bloodline limit jutsus, though extremely rare. A-ranks have the ability to use two elements. Unlike the lower ranks, A-ranks come in rare species and have extremely high intelligence. It is proven that they are able to understand and even use human speech."

The blond gently brushed his finger by one of the picture displayed on the page. No wonder higher rank Shoukanjuu were so popular. They really are beautiful. Even through the picture, Naruto could feel the power radiating off the sparkling fur. How Naruto wished he could one day catch something like these. Flipping the page, he expected to see more pictures of Shoukanjuu, but found _humans_ being displayed in the photos. The blond shrugged, guessing that they were most likely famous Tamers from somewhere in history. As his eyes trailed over the page, a particular word over the top of the page caught his attention.

"S-ranks?" Naruto stared at the headline before he began to read. "Not much is known of S-rank Shoukanjuus aside from the fact that they are extremely dangerous. Their abilities and powers greatly exceed A-ranks, with much higher intelligence than even humans. Only one sighting of S-ranks was ever seen and that was during the year of X17."

Naruto paused to count the years. That was about fifty-two years ago.

"A group of Tamers were crossing the border from Kumo to Iwa when they came across three Shoukanjuus in the middle of a battle. With evidence from the pictures, a new rank of Shoukanjuus was created: the S-rank. According to the Tamers who provided the information, S-rank Shoukanjuus have the ability to use chakra to manipulate their forms, turning into that of a human—wait, what?" The blond gasped before he quickly glanced back to the three pictures displayed there. "Slug princess Tsunade; Toad Sage Jiraiya; White Snake Orochimaru," He whispered, reading the small, italic words beneath each of the pictures.

"These are Shoukanjuus? But they're humans!" Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. Were they really Shoukanjuus? "To this day, no one knows whether S-rank really does exist or not. There have been many arguments over the years, and many claimed the photos to be nothing but a fraud."

Seeing the little arrow at the bottom, Naruto turned to the next page. When he did, his eyes widened at the large picture that took up both pages' space. There, printed in coloured ink, were three massive creatures standing even taller than the surrounding mountain. There was a huge, golden-striped slug; a red-skinned toad; and an enormous, white snake. At the left side of the page, there were the three human pictures again. Each picture was labeled with their names and a line showing which human was which Shoukanjuu.

"This is S-rank…" Naruto continued to gape at the still pictures in shock. "Why didn't the teachers at school ever mention this?" He tried to think back to all of the lessons, but they never got anywhere close to the discussion of S-rank. Was it because S-rank was classified as a myth? Was that why the teachers never mentioned anything about them?

"Shoukanjuu…," Naruto called the name of those beautiful creatures. He then began flipping over the section of C-rank Shoukanjuu, looking for anything that might catch his eye.

oOo

"Naruto-kun? Are you ready yet?"

"Just a minute!" Naruto called as he tugged at his wristband. After running a comb through his spikey hair to get rid of the last bit of knots, he hurried out of the bathroom to greet his two friends waiting in the living room.

Sensing his presence, Haku and a boy with crimson hair glanced up to see the blond in his usual training clothes. Naruto was dressed in a black sleeved turtle neck shirt with his right arm's sleeve cut at the shoulder. On his exposed arm, he wore a black wristband and elbow band. Orange scribbles of ancient characters ran over the left side of his shirt. His leather, long pants, like his shirt, were mismatched in length, with his left leg's cut inches above his knee. There was the same orange design on his pants, except it was only located at the right side. Like all Tamers, he wore the traditional Tamer sandals in the shades of his favourite colour: black.

"You took quite a while in there." Haku smiled before noticing a seal drawn on the blond's bare shoulder. "Is that the seal you will use?"

"Yeah…" Naruto smiled. "It's my best seal that I learned from my mother's scroll! What do you guys think?"

"It's amazing," The brunette commented, stepping closer to exam the seal. "How long did this take you?"

"During the time you threw me into the bathroom," Naruto replied sheepishly. A stunned expression passed through Haku's face while the maroon-haired teen's doll-like face remained neutral.

"You were in there for fifteen minutes. You did that in such a short time?"

"Actually, it took longer than usual. I kind of screwed up a little half way." Naruto sighed, making a gesture at the small smudge of the black ink. "Think it'll be enough to catch a Shoukanjuu?"

"Relax, Naruto-kun," Haku said, noticing the blond's nervousness, "With the complex structure of that seal, I'm sure it can contain even higher level ones. Isn't that right, Gaara?" The redhead stepped up at the call of his name so he could also examine the seal.

"What is this seal called?" Garra questioned with a stoic face.

"The Five Star Seal…I think."

"The Five Star Seal?" Haku said with a look of amazement. "Now I know why Sandaime-sama said you inherited your father, the Yondaime-sama's, skill. Have you tested it out yet?"

"I tried sealing objects, but…" His gaze fell. "I've never tried with actual living things before."

"You will in an hour," the Sand Tamer said, grabbing a black backpack from the couch, tossing it at the blond. "If you don't hurry, you'll be late for the exam."

"Yeah…" Naruto stared at the backpack in his hand.

_'Today's the day,'_ He told himself as a gust of wind suddenly blew through the room and whirled around them.

In the blink of an eye, all three of them vanished.

They reappeared on the roof of the Academy seconds later. Naruto peered over the edge as he stared at all the students that were filing into the school.

"Naruto-kun. What kind of Shoukanjuu have you decided on capturing?" Haku asked. Gaara looked up, seeming interested as well.

"I was thinking of a Celefox." Naruto smiled at the memory of the fox Shoukanjuu he saw in Haku's book.

"Celefox?" Haku tilted his head. "That's an unusual choice. They are taijutsu-based with no ninjutsu ability, aren't they?"

"But they're the best sensor-type around. I thought that since I'm aiming to be a Seal Master, I need a Shoukanjuu that can sniff out its prey."

"I thought you were going to be a Bounty Hunter," Gaara pointed out. The ice user quickly turned to him before glancing back to Naruto.

"What Bounty Hunter?" The pale teen questioned. He was obviously left out when Naruto made that announcement to the redhead. Seeing the look on his friend's face only made the blond's smile widen.

"No one said you can only choose one."

"So we'll have two Bounty Hunters?" Haku chuckled as he glanced between his two best friends. "Perhaps I should give up being a Breeder and join in."

"Of course not!" Naruto shouted, with Gaara nodding in agreement. "You promised you'd raise the best Shoukanjuu and give it to us. I'm holding you on that promise."

"If you can catch me a rare Shoukanjuu to breed with." The brunette smiled warmly and sent them a light wink that would make even men swoon at the sight.

"It's amazing that Zabuza can actually last this long…"

"Hm? Sorry, did you say something, Naruto-kun?" Haku turned to the blond who quickly shook his head. The apprentice Bounty Hunter smiled faintly at his fox-faced friend's behaviour. He couldn't blame him, as he too was having the exact same thought.

"Celefoxes dwell in the northern side of the village, don't they?" Gaara asked, deciding to help out the blond by switching the topic. Naruto jumped at the chance, nodding quickly while sending the redhead a thankful gaze. Haku glanced at the two suspiciously, unable to help feeling as though he was being left out on something. Just when he parted his lips to question, the ringing sound of bell could be heard, indicating the beginning of class.

"Shoot! I have to go."

"Good luck, Naruto."

"Gaara-kun and I will be cheering for you."

Smiling widely at his friends' support, Naruto gathered chakra into his feet and ran down the Academy wall. He quickly slipped through the window before anyone notice and landed swiftly onto the cool, marble floor. Hurrying down the hall, he searched for the second floor's training room where he remembered Iruka telling them to gather.

The minute he found the room, he dashed in and saw the majority of the students already there. Iruka and Kakashi, along with few other Chuunins, were at one side of the room preparing for the start of the exam.

"This is…," Naruto murmured as he stared at the four large seals that were drawn on the ground. Upon closer look, the blond noticed kanjis written at the center of each seal.

From left to right, the words in order were 東南西北 (East, South, West, North).

_'So that's it! That's how the test works,'_ Naruto thought, his eyes widening in realization. Lost in his thought, the blond didn't noticing someone sneaking up on him until it was too late; he was roughly shoved onto the floor.

"Why, if it isn't kamaboko*! You were so short I didn't see you there."

Naruto frowned at the voice. He slowly pulled himself up and patted some dust off his clothes before turning to meet the irritating face of the green-haired boy.

"Fusao," Naruto greeted, not really happy to see him. In fact, he _never_ wanted to see that face.

When Fusao saw the bitter look come over the blond's features, he snickered. "So the dead last of the class is taking the exam? You should really forget about it. With your skills, you'll be killed in a second!" He laughed and was soon joined in by the nearby students. Apparently all of them were thinking the same thing.

"I bet you haven't even prepared a seal."

"I did," Naruto retorted, but his response only earned a narrowed glare from those spiteful, brown eyes.

"Oh? You got a seal?" Fusao laughed as though the blond had told a joke. "Let see?" He glanced around before spotting the seal printed over Naruto's shoulder in black ink. The instant his eyes landed on the blond's seal, a frown pulled over his face.

"That seal's–!" The teen gasped in disbelieve at how complicated the seal was, in comparison to his own that was located at the back of his palm.

"Sensei!" Fusao suddenly shouted, gaining everyone's attention.

"Fusao?" Iruka looked up from the attendance he was taking. "What is it?"

"Naruto's cheating!" Fusao suddenly accused as the blond's blue eyes flew wide open.

"Wha–!"

"What do you mean?" Iruka asked as he hurried over. By now, all the students were looking at them—the room was deathly silent.

"He had someone else drew his seal, look!" Fusao jabbed a finger painfully into the blond's shoulder, making him wince from the pain.

"I didn't! I drew it myself!" Naruto shouted as his teacher grabbed his wrist, pulling his arm up so he could examine it.

"Liar! We've never learned this kind of seal in the Academy and we all know your sorry excuse for skills. It's obvious that you had someone draw it for you!" Fusao snapped as loud as he could so the entire room could hear. Soon, just like the bully wanted, whispers began traveling around the students.

"No, I–!" Naruto was cut off by the disapproving glare he received from his fellow classmates.

"He's the worst."

"Even if he's not good, it doesn't mean he should cheat."

"Seriously…"

"As expected of the dead last."

"No…I didn't…," Naruto whispered as tears began to cloud his eyes. Feeling the grip over his wrist tightened, he quickly turned to his teacher. "Iruka-sensei! I really didn't–!" He wasn't able to finish when he noticed the disappointed frown on Iruka's face.

"Fusao is right." Naruto's eyes dilated at the words that came from the Chuunin's lips. The first thing the blond thought was that he must have misheard, but the expression on the man's face told him otherwise. "This seal is the Five Star Seal. Although it's not an extremely high ranked seal, it still isn't something you can make on your own."

"But I really did!" Naruto shouted, his voice growing desperate with each word. "I'm not lying!"

"Naruto! That's enough!" Iruka yelled as he released the blond's wrist. "I had specifically made it clear that everyone is required to make his or her own seal, and you failed to do that."

"What a loser."

"So unlike Sasuke-kun," Sakura and Ino whispered at the sideline. Naruto stared at the ground in despair when he realized how not even a single person was willing to help him. For the first time in his life, the blond felt completely empty and alone.

"But…I really did…," Naruto choked as he tried to swallow his tears.

"Naruto." Iruka straightened up and stared down at his student. "For cheating, you are disqualified from the–"

"Now, now, Iruka. There's no need to be so harsh."

Naruto's head quickly snapped up and saw his silver-haired Jounin teacher walking over to them.

"Kakashi-sensei…," Naruto whispered as Kakashi casually walked over and eyed his seal.

"Indeed. That's quite a complicated seal you have there," Kakashi observed before lifting the wet cloth he was holding. Gently taking the blond's shoulder, he began to scrub at the seal—slowly but surely rubbing the ink off.

"You can always reproduce another one, can't you?" Naruto gasped when he heard Kakashi speak quietly beneath his mask so only he could hear.

"Sensei." Naruto quickly wiped away the loose tears that had formed with his free hand and replied with a faint nod.

"Kakashi-san, what are you doing?" Iruka demanded as Kakashi succeeded in rubbing off the last bit of the ink.

"Now the seal is gone. He won't be able to use it."

"That's not the problem. The fact that Naruto cheated is–"

"Iruka. Since when did you have the authority to question what I do?" Kakashi asked in such a cold tone that the brunette flinched. "Whether Naruto cheated or not doesn't matter. The seal is gone, and drawing another now will normally take a genin hours to fully recover due to the amount of chakra it consumes. The exam only lasts for two days. If he can't create a seal during this time and succeed in capturing a Shoukanjuu, then he fails, like many others by the end of the exam."

Naruto noticed the content looks over the other students' faces, along with the smugness on Fusao. At the sight of their piercing gaze, Naruto felt a wave of heat compress within his chest, along with the feeling of betrayal. He felt as though Iruka—whom he saw as an older brother, betrayed him by not believing him when he said he was innocent.

Iruka said nothing. He couldn't—not against a high level Jounin like Kakashi. At his silence, Kakashi slid Naruto's bag off his shoulder and tossed it to a nearby chuunin, who happened to be Kotetsu.

"Search his bag. Make sure there are no sealing instructions or anything that teaches him on sealing."

"Yes," the Chuunin said, and immediately went off to give a thorough search of Naruto's backpack.

The blond stood still. His feet were rooted to the floor as he listened to the whispers and snickers that were still going around. He had never felt so embarrassed and humiliated in his life. He never tried to stand out or do anything to anger anyone. He couldn't understand why they were all like that. What could they possibly have against him when he never did anything to upset them?

"Alright, quiet down," Kakashi called, successfully shutting down the students and gaining their undivided attention. "Now that every one of you is here, we will begin your first Shoukanjuu capturing exam—the Seal of Bond. Has everyone prepared a seal?"

The students screamed out a loud _YES_.

"I'm sure Iruka has gone over the rules with you, but I will go over them again just in case."

As Naruto quietly listened, he felt a light tab on his shoulder. When he turned, he came face to face with Izumo, another one of the Chuunins.

"Here," Izumo said with a kind smile as he held up the blond's backpack.

"Thanks, Izumo no nii-chan." Naruto muttered as he hesitantly took his bag. He was unable to bring himself to meet Izumo eyes. Even though he didn't cheat, he didn't want to look up and see the same disappointed look he saw on Iruka.

"Don't worry Naruto. We know," Izumo said softly as he placed a hand on the blond's shoulder to comfort him. "Kakashi-san had asked us to put a brush and an ink bottle into your bag. Make sure you don't lose it."

Naruto's eyes flew wide at his words. He quickly lifted his head, about to thank the Chuunin only to find him already making his way back to one of the four seals he was stationed at.

"…Thank you." Naruto smiled before he quickly focused his attention back to Kakashi, who began explaining the details of the exam.

"As you all are aware, the exam will last for two days, ending at tomorrow's sunset. Since none of you brought food, I hope you all know how to hunt. Otherwise, you'll starve~"

_'Geh…you were the one who told us not to.'_ Naruto gaped as he stared at his silver-haired teacher.

"What?!" Sakura screeched in horror. "Sensei was the one who told us not to bring anything!" She repeated the statement from Naruto's mind as the other students began screaming complaints.

"Those who are unable to come back with a C-rank Shoukanjuu will automatically fail and will have to wait another year," Kakashi continued on, gracefully ignoring the death glares that were directed at him. Naruto figured that the Jounin was long used to it considering how many things he had pulled over the years.

"Now then." Kakashi made a gesture as Kotetsu came up and began handing out pieces of paper and pencils to the students.

"What is this?" Naruto wondered, taking the paper and pencil he was given.

"Those are contracts that you must sign before we begin," Kakashi explained, "It's nothing really. Just a form stating that you have agreed to take the exam knowing the danger you will be faced with. We wouldn't want your parents to come suing us if any of you were to die."

The minute they heard their teacher's speech, Naruto noticed how a lot of people began to fidget nervously. He frowned at the sight. Did they actually expect the exam to be safe? They were after all, going to fight against Shoukanjuus.

"Those who fail to sign the contract will not be able to take part in the exam. We'll give you ten minutes to consider."

Naruto, not needing the ten minutes that was offered, quickly signed the paper and handed it to Kotetsu, who was at the back of the room, about the same time as Sasuke – the Academy's rookie of the year and the village's number one heartthrob. Upon the example set by Sasuke and the _cheater_, the other students quickly began to follow suit. The girls signed for the sake of being together with their love while the boys mostly did it because they didn't want to look bad. After all, it would be too embarrassing to back out after the dead last showed that he had more guts than them.

After taking some time to confirm everyone's signature on the paper, Kotetsu gave Kakashi a nod as the white haired man continued.

"Alright. Follow me." Kakashi led the students towards the large seals guarded by the Chuunins. With a few hand signs from the Tamers, the four seals began to emit a soft glow of pale blue light.

"These are the teleportation seals," Kakashi explained in his usual lazy tone. "As you can see, there are different characters written at the center. Each teleportation seal takes you into a specific area near the village. I'm sure I don't need to explain how this will work. Although you will be teleported to C-rank areas, keep in mind that there is always the possibility of higher ranks lurking around. Be sure to stay on guard at all times."

Naruto couldn't help but notice how some of the students trembled at the mention of the possibility of meeting higher ranks.

"Before you go into the seal, each of you will be given a map and a teleportation scroll, according to the area you're in. If you're in trouble, or have finished your task before the time, simply open the scroll, press your palm into the seal, and apply your chakra. That will activate the seal and teleport you back to this training room. There is a protection seal on it, so there's no need to worry about ripping or getting it wet. When the time limit has end, the scroll will automatically transport you back, so keep it close to you at all times. Those who fail to return with a required Shoukanjuu will have to try again next year. The Chuunins at each teleportation point will need to verify the seals you have drawn, so have them out in a visible place before going in. Any questions?" Kakashi glanced around lazily. When he noticed nobody had any questions, he stepped aside. "Then let the Seal of Bond begin!"

Naruto watched the girls scream as they all rushed towards the same region the raven-haired boy was heading for. He sweat dropped at the sight of the poor Chuunin in the form of Kotetsu getting run over by the stampede of the infamous Uchiha fan girls.

_'Are they serious?'_ The blond thought. He wondered if any of them were actually serious about becoming Tamer.

"Good luck with taming a Shoukanjuu, loser." Fusao snickered as Naruto watched him run off with his friends. Ignoring the greenette, the blond quickly looked over the seals.

"Celefox is in the north." He remembered as he hurried to the Northern seal, lining up behind a violet-haired classmate. It took the boy a couple of seconds to realize who was behind him and sneered once he did. The blond realized he wasn't the only one doing so. Many other students were glaring at him with the same eyes, excluding all the females (except for one - a girl from the Hyuuga clan), who were fighting over who got to go after Sasuke.

The blond lowered his head as the previous bitterness returned. He bit his lower lip and clutched his quivering fists, trying his very best to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.

After the boy stepped through the seal and vanished, Naruto was up next. He took the teleportation scroll and the map of the northern region from the Chuunin stationed there. He stared at the seal for a long moment. Gathering up his courage, he inhaled deeply and stepped forward. The minute he entered the seal, he gasped, quickly shutting his eyes as intense light suddenly engulfed him.

Once the light faded away, Naruto slowly opened his eyes and found he was no longer within the Academy's training room. He was in the middle of a small clearing beneath a cloud filled sky, surrounded by enormous trees and other vegetation that he had only seen in pictures.

"It's beautiful," he whispered in awe before a bright light suddenly erupted from behind him. Quickly moving away, Naruto watched as another student appeared at exactly the same spot where he had stood. Stepping away from the growing group, he took his time to admire the place.

_'This is the world outside the village,'_ the blond thought in wonder. Everything looked so much prettier than the book had described. Since the outside world was dangerous due to the Shoukanjuus, children below the age of fifteen who were not Tamers were to remain within the village unless they were accompanied by a Tamer or adult. It was a rule set by all Hidden Villages in order to protect their people. Because of this law, the blond had never once seen the outside world first-hand before.

"Tch, coming into the same area as the cheater, how lucky~"

Naruto turned to find those same glares directed at him. He stared at the group for a long minute, letting the words sink into his mind before his cornflower blue eyes narrowed.

"I said I didn't cheat!" He snapped as loud as he could. He couldn't take it. He just couldn't stand being falsely accused anymore. Unfortunately, his outburst did the opposite effect he had hoped for, earning him only more hateful glares.

"Why don't you just admit it, loser? You obviously cheated with that seal!"

"I didn't! I drew that myself!"

"As if someone like you has the ability to draw that!"

"You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Why are you even here?"

The boys began shouting, pointing fingers and calling him names.

Finally, unable to stand it anymore, Naruto quickly turned and ran into the dark forest. He didn't care where he was heading,; he just wanted to get away from those eyes. He pushed aside the branches that were blocking his sight and forcefully shoved his way through the bushes. When he took another step forward, his eyes widened when his foot sank down, making him realized how the space beneath his foot had suddenly become hollow.

He stared at the trees in the distance before he finally realized how the land was separated by a large canyon.

"Ah!" Naruto cried when his body was dragged down by gravity.

Taken by surprise, he didn't have time to react. His right arm slammed harshly against the edge of the cliff when he fell, twisting it in an awkward angle that told the blond it was dislocated. He gritted his teeth and desperately tried to move his right hand so he could form his Kage Bunshin, but only succeed in causing more pain. Quickly thinking of the next plan, he infused chakra into his good hand. He tried to grasp the rock wall, but he had fallen too far to reach it. He dug through his mind, trying to think of some way out of the situation while greatly beginning to regret that he didn't bring any ropes.

He parted his lips to yell for help, but his lips froze halfway and his voice stuck in his throat. They would never save him even if they heard his cries. He knew without a doubt from the memories of those hateful gazes. He thought he was used to it, but it suddenly came to him that it still hurt.

Those glares he would always receive, the attitude people always treated him with; it was like he was nothing more than an eyesore. He suddenly found himself caring about everything: the glares, the gossips, the bullying—everything that he thought he no longer cared about.

_"Why do you hold back?"_ Gaara's voice echoed in the depth of his mind.

_"I can tell you that none of the students at the academy can match your speed. Why are you hiding it?"_

_'Would it have been better?'_ Naruto wondered.

He was always afraid to accept changes, afraid to make changes. He was used to everything, so he thought it was better to have everything stay like that. At least like this, he would know what to expect from his everyday life instead of facing the unknown.

If he had gathered his courage and listen to his friends would this have happen?

_"Liar! We've never learned this kind of seal in the Academy and we all know your sorry excuse for skills. It's obvious that you had someone draw it for you!"_

_"Even if he's not good, it doesn't mean he should cheat."_

_"Fusao is right. This seal is the Five Star Seal. Although it's not an extremely high ranked seal, it still isn't something you can make on your own."_

"I guess…"

He stared at the sky that was fading from his view.

"I'm an idiot."

The second he spoke his last word, he screamed out in pain as his back slammed into the hard surface of water, knocking the air out of him and consciousness away.

As Naruto slowly slipped into the darkness, he could only feel one thing.

Cold.

* * *

Shoukanjuu – Summoning Beast

Kamaboko - Cured fish surimi produced in Japan

* * *

_"We don't know what kind of people we truly are until the moment before our deaths. As death comes to embrace you, you will realise what you are. That's what death is, don't you think?" –_ Itachi.

* * *

Special thanks to EmelyeUchiha who has kindly offered her precious time to make this story better. It is all due to her efforts that this story is rid of my horrible grammar, spelling mistakes and other things I tend to overlook ^^'


	2. Shoukanjuu

_Beta'd by EmelyeUchiha_

* * *

A mighty howl echoed into the air. The sky was dim despite only being noon. A tall silhouette of a beast stood in the large crater. The pattering rhythm of rain danced through the land, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the forest. A flash of blue light erupted from the dark clouds swirling within the sky followed by a loud cracking sound of thunder.

The beast shifted, slowly losing its balance before its enormous body slammed into the crimson puddle gathered at its feet. A weak growled rumbled from its throat. It clawed at the softened soil in attempt to get back up, but that only caused its wounds to further tear, releasing more blood.

"D-damn you!" The creature hissed before its voice broke into a painful cough. It desperately tried to get up again, but no longer having any more strength, it collapsed back onto the ground. Its arms were sprawled over the wet soil, shaky and limp. The beast made no attempt to get up again. Its amber eyes weakly opened, searching through the darkness of the shadows to catch a pair of illuminating crimson eyes.

"**I**–" The beast growled, revealing sharp rows of fangs that were about an inch long, coated with its own blood. **"ITACHI!"**

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, peeling off the shadows from the land as a black haired teen was revealed, leaning against a tree. The large leaves of the huge trees served as a shelter, protecting him from the chilling rain. Crimson eyes stared calmly as the large creature dug its powerful hind legs deep into the wet soil. Summoning all of its remaining strength, it kicked off the ground and charged forward. The boy watched with an apathetic expression as the beast parted its wide jaws.

Thunder roared down, deafening every other sound. For a second, it was like time had been temporarily stopped before it later resumed, as the rhythmic sound of the rain returned.

The beast stood on the ground, completely frozen in place with its fangs only mere inches away from chewing off the brunette's head. The teen stared at the unsightly creature, without an ounce of emotion, into those amber irises that were trembling in attempt to focus on their target. The beast made a weak attempt to pull away from the boy, but it couldn't. The boy's pale arm was stretched over his head, slipping past the wide gap between the creature's sharp fangs, his wrist disappearing into the fragile flesh of the back of the beast's throat.

The brunette's pale hand could be seen sticking out from the mass of thick furs on the monster's nape. The harsh rain was washing away the thick blood covering his unusually pale skin, revealing long, blackened claws that were stretched from the human-looking hand. The hand illuminated eerily against the black background and the dark, indigo fur.

Crimson eyes watched as the amber orbs rolled back into the monster's skull. With one final struggle, the creature's body sagged, hanging limply by the hand that was the only force holding it up. With a swing of his arm, the teenager casually tossed the massive body aside and relieved himself of the extra weight.

Not even sparing the corpse a look, the brunette turned and began to slowly walk away. As he stepped through the shadows, his long claws slowly retracted back to his fingers. The colour of the blackness in the claw began to fade, becoming transparent and the sharp tip rounding out smoothly. Once it was complete, the claws were no more, and in its places were ordinary human nails.

"I-Itachi-sama…!" A voice squeaked as a small, white-furred weasel, with long ears like a rabbit's and talons for paws, suddenly rolled out from the bushes and stopped at the teen's feet. "Blood. Lots of blood." The small creature stumbled over its wordings, seeming to have difficulty in speaking the language.

Itachi looked down at his company before he finally took notice of the blood staining his hand and clothes.

"This isn't my blood," he replied, holding his hand up to show his undamaged skin as the rain continued to wash off the sticky substance from him.

"Leave?" The weasel squeaked, its ears dropping low when the raven-haired teen nodded.

"He found me," Itachi said with an even tone as he stepped around the small creature and made his way through the dark woods. "I cannot stay any longer."

The small Shoukanjuu stared at the back of its retreating master. Its ears twitched as it then peered back to the beast that hadn't moved ever since its throat had been impaled. With a sharp hiss, the creature's body began to grow. Its legs and neck stretched out until its height reached up to three feet tall. Its stomach shrank into its body along with the other baby fat its smaller form had. Black markings slowly materialized, scribbling over its snow white fur once its transformation was completed.

The large, white weasel hissed as its sharp talons dug into the mud. It parted its mouth to suck in a deep breath. With a roar, streams of orange fire were breathed out of its mouth and set the corpse of the monster into flames. The fire burned wildly, the rain and pond having very little effect on it as the creature's body was quickly being reduced into ashes. The weasel stood for a moment to watch the fire hungrily devour the body before darting into the shadows and vanishing without making the slightest sound.

Itachi gazed up to the smoke rising within the distance before he turned back to his path and stepped over a root sticking out from the ground. Within the pouring rain, he could hear the rushing sound of water growing louder and louder.

He stepped out of the trees and found the source. There, before him, was the rapid rushing stream of the usually calm river that was sped up by the storm. He walked over to the river bank and knelt down. The black haired teenager rolled his sleeve back before he dripped his blood covered arm into the strong current of the water. The debris in the water hit against his skin, but he wasn't affected in the least and began to scrub the blood off his skin and some trapped within his nails.

As the he cleaned himself, the colour of yellow suddenly flashed by his view. His head instantly snapped up as his crimson eyes darted over the rapid stream, catching sight of a tan, human hand before it sank back down into the water.

Itachi immediately bounced onto his feet and ran along the river side in an inhuman pace to keep up the exceeded speed of the current. His eyes swept over the surface of the water before he spotted that yellow lock of hair resurfacing again. With a kick off the ground, he flew across the surface of the water and landed onto a wash log. When he was flying over the location of where he last saw the hair, he thrust his hand into the water and grabbed a fist full of what felt to be clothes. With chakra gathered at his feet, he landed on the unstable surface of the water and leaped into the air before the violent current could knock him off his balance.

A loud splashing sound could be heard as the object in his hand was fished out of the dark water. Once back onto dry land, the Itachi looked down at a young boy dangling in his hand. As he laid the blond down, he noted how young he was, seeming no more than twelve or thirteen.

"A human?" The brunette mumbled as he checked beneath the boy's jaw for a pulse. Although it was faint, he could certainly feel the beating of the human's heart moving beneath his fingers. However, the boy wasn't moving. His body was still without any indication of breathing. Quickly pinching down the kid's nose, the teen tilted the blond's chin upward. He dipped his head down and without hesitation, locked their lips together so that he could insert air into the water-filled lungs. He pulled back, waiting a couple of seconds before he repeated the process. After long seconds of attempts, Itachi felt the body under him twitch. He drew away just in time to narrowly avoid having the blond haired teen spit water into his mouth.

Itachi carefully rolled the human boy to his side so that he could properly cough out the fair amount of water that had been trapped inside his lungs. As he waited patiently, he noticed the boy's eyes that had been struggling to open, but couldn't due to the layer of mud caked over his face. So after the dark haired teen set the younger onto his back, he reached out, using his bare hand to wipe away the dirt. When he did, his lips parted to take in a sharp breath as his hand froze.

"Minato." That name was whispered softly from the stunned teen.

Despite the heavy coughs, the boy seemed to have heard him.

"Who…," He managed to speak between the coughs. "Who are…y-you?"

The older teen didn't respond. Having gotten over his own shock, he lifted the boy's torn shirt and looked over all the bruises and cuts he had suffered. With great care, he placed a hand onto the blond's chest. He felt around the ribs, pausing each time the poor boy screamed out in pain as he desperately tried to squirm away from the foreign touch.

"Don't move," Itachi spoke in a rather demanding tone that caused the blond to freeze. The blond haired human breathed heavily, his body still weak from the lack of air he had to endure. He tried to open his eyes to look around, only to squeeze them shut from the fat droplets hammering down at his face. While the boy was furiously trying to get his eyes open so he could see where he was, Itachi had slipped his hand under the body and was now feeling along the boy's spine. He could feel some lumps indicating more bruises, but other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

_'He broke his floaters and three of his false ribs,' _The raven-haired teen mentally noted before he ran his hands over the boy's firm legs, then his left arm stopped when the blond cried out again. _'His ulna is cracked, but does not appear to be entirely broken yet.'_ He looked over to the other arm and discovered how it was dislocated at the elbow. Both arms were in serious condition. However, despite the hideous swell formed around the right elbow, the left arm was much more serious, as the smallest movement might have resulted in breaking off the rest of the bone that was still attached.

Momentarily leaving the blond's side, Itachi went to the nearest tree and snapped off the straightest branch he could find. Spinning out a kunai from his sleeve, he made quick work to peel the bark off. After he was finished, he pulled off the deep crimson cloak he was wearing and tore it into strips so it could be used as a substitute for bandages. He positioned the wood on the blond's broken arm and wrapped the makeshift bandage around it. With a swift and hard tug, he tightened the bandage, forcefully straightening the arm against the stick.

The boy grunted and gritted his teeth in response, but other than that, he didn't seem to be in too much pain.

Itachi waited, allowing the human to adjust before moving to the other side to inspect the dislocated arm. He looked over the joint that was hidden within the swollen flesh. After making a quick calculation, he grabbed the fragile arm and with a strong push, he snapped the joints back in place. A sickening sound was emitted, followed by a sharp cry that tore out of the boy's throat. Cornflower blue eyes snapped open, but before he could even get the chance to move, the spikey-haired boy was pinned to the ground by the foot pressing down on his better shoulder.

The raven-haired teen watched as the boy panted heavily while his body trembled at the aftershock and from the chilly air. Glancing down to the child's chest, Itachi carefully laid both of his hands over where he had felt the broken ribs. With some concentration, a soft glow of greenish chakra began to emit from his palm.

Softness glazed over the brunette's eyes when he saw that the teen he rescued began to relax under his touch. However, the peaceful expression on him disappeared as fast as it came, hardening into a glare as he looked up at the shadows within the trees.

With another flash of lightning, the silhouettes of dog-like creatures that had been hiding within the dark were revealed. Golden eyes glowed eerily within the darkness as the sound of multiple growls dominated the sound of the rain.

The creatures slowly walked out, one after another as they bore fangs towards their prey. Itachi stared at the wolf-like creatures as the three tomoe in his crimson eyes began to spin. With a loud bark from the alpha of the pack, the beasts charged forward. Their saliva spilled through the wide gaps of their teeth as golden eyes locked hungrily onto their targets, only to have the emotion reflected inside suddenly go blank.

The howls disappeared into the back of the creatures' throats as they all stilled in their dash. Itachi didn't even bother turning to look as the beasts hit the ground one after another, collapsing under the storm with their irises rolled into the back of their heads.

The brunette stood up with the injured blond cradled safely within his arms. He stared down at the human, knowing that he had fallen unconscious again due to his slowed heartbeat and light breathing. With a quick glance towards the thick clouds swirling over their heads, Itachi darted into a sprint and began whizzing through the forest.

He sped through the area at an unbelievable pace and quickly arrived at the foot of a mountain. Chakra wrapped around his feet. With a graceful flip into the air, the teen landed against the slippery rock wall and to run upward. Within no time at all, he landed inside a large cavern located at the side of the mountain where his temporary home was. He placed the blond onto the damp ground before he carefully stripped him of his battered clothes and laid them out over the driest spot he could find. After discarding his own clothes as well, Itachi returned to the younger boy's side. He leaned over the unconscious blond, taking a look over his face once more before his muscles tightened. Veins struck out of his flawless skin. His nails blackened and began to extent from his fingertips, curving downward into long claws.

A low growl resonated through the cave as another crack of thunder shook the land. The rain continued as the dark clouds gradually began to thin out over the night.

By sunrise, the rain had completely stopped. The forest that was once ominous glittered against the soft ray of morning light. When a warm breeze blew by, the branches shook, causing the clear droplets gathered over the lush, green leaves to shower down.

A pair of small, brown sparrows sat at the mouth of the cave, chirping in delight as they welcomed the start of the day. Naruto awoke from the darkness with a weak groan. Sky-coloured eyes parted tiredly, blinking twice before closing once more. The blond sighed at the relaxing warmth surrounding him. He snuggled against his pillow, not wanting to wake up so soon; he had never before slept in such a comfortable bed. It almost felt as though he were wrapped by a thick layer of fur with softness rivalling Koyuki's. When the blond tried to turn so that he could get more comfortable, he let out a yelp as his side throbbed in pain.

His eyes immediately snapped open as the fog in his mind vanished.

A bed…why was there a bed here?

Naruto looked down and froze when his sight was greeted by a mass of blackness. The blanket wrapped around him wasn't _like_ fur_. _It _was_ fur! And furthermore, it was moving! The pelt was moving as though it were a breathing, living thing. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he could even feel heat seeping out from it.

Gasping in panic, Naruto quickly tried to get up again, only to let out a hiss at his own stupidity for forgetting his injuries. The teen stretched his neck, taking a look around before realizing that the fur pressed on his left side seemed to be a…tail. A bit further away, he could see a giant paw with extremely sharp claws sticking out from the charcoal black fur. As he let his gaze follow the thing's form, the blond's eyes widened in horror when he took in the size of the creature.

"A Shoukanjuu?" He stared at the Shoukanjuu that seemed to be about the size of the Hokage mansion. It was the first time he had ever seen a Shoukanjuu so big in real life that he couldn't help but gape like an idiot. He let his eyes sweep over the Shoukanjuu's form, but couldn't really see past the creature's shoulders. So biting down on his lower lip to hold in the pain, he adjusted his position until he finally spotted the creature's head that was lying on the damp rock floor, sleeping rather soundlessly. From the sharpness of the face and the slender, long body, the Shoukanjuu seemed to be related to weasel.

The boy's mind was all tangled up as he tried to figure out how he got stuck in a cave with an over-sized Shoukanjuu that could gobble him up in one bite. He was supposed to be in the region with only C-ranks. Never mind C-ranks, even B-rank Shoukanjuus weren't supposed to be this large, were they?

"I fell," Naruto whispered as he recalled his recent memories. The eyes of his glaring classmates, Iruka, the cliff, the river, and the cold darkness that followed after. He paused as a blurred memory of a person with raven hair flashed by his mind. He tried to focus on that particular image of the mysterious person within the rain.

"That's right…someone…someone must have helped me," Naruto mumbled to himself. Distracted by his thoughts, he didn't realize how he had tried to sit up until another sting pricked his body. He fell back down against the fur, giving a soft wince before he gazed down at his arms. He was expecting to see some type of nasty injuries, but to his surprise, he found his left arm bandaged up and secured to a stick so tightly that it wouldn't move.

"Your bones are fractured. I would suggest you not move too much," A deep voice suddenly spoke, causing Naruto to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Who's there?" He whispered, not wanting to risk waking the creature as he carefully scanned over his surroundings, finding no sign of anyone around. Suddenly, the blond felt the muscles beneath the fur ripple as the tail pressed tighter against him to hold him in place.

"My name is of no importance."

Naruto felt a chill run down his body when he realized that the voice came directly from behind him. When he turned around, his eyes flew wide at the sight of a very awake Shoukanjuu. Its head was hovering over him and staring at him with sharp eyes in the colour of blood that sent an unpleasant chill down the blond's spine.

"Y-you can speak!" Naruto shouted as the large weasel pulled its head back, as though it knew the closeness was making the boy nervous.

"I do," the creature replied simply.

"Are you an A-rank?" Naruto asked hesitantly, remembering how the book only mentioned A-rank being able to speak human language. He waited for a response, but when he didn't receive any, he decided to ask another question.

"Did you…you know, save me?" He glanced down at the warm fur wrapped around him before looking back up to meet those crimson eyes. The weasel still did not speak. It just stared at Naruto intensely, causing the blond to feel a bit nervous; he couldn't tell what the beast was thinking.

After a couple of minutes later, it finally spoke. "You're not afraid of me."

Naruto didn't know if that was a statement or a question, but he answered anyway, "You are intimidating," he admitted sheepishly before he smiled up at the creature. "But you kept me warm, right? I would have frozen to death if it weren't for you. Thank you."

Again, the Shoukanjuu only gave the human boy a look before it turned away. The blond licked his dried lips, unable to help but feeling a little awkward. The weasel's silent and stoic attitude greatly reminded him of Gaara when he first met the red head.

"By the way, my name is Naruto," he introduced himself, but as expected, the weasel still didn't respond. It just kept staring outside as though he didn't hear anything the human was saying.

Naruto sighed as he looked over the cave before noticing his clothes neatly laid over the ground for drying. He glanced back at the bandages around his arm. Wrapping them was something the Shoukanjuu couldn't possibly have been capable of, meaning that a human must have done it.

_'Could it be that person?'_ Naruto wondered as he recalled the mysterious person. He briefly wondered if whoever had helped him was the owner of this Shoukanjuu. If he or she was, then everything made sense as to why the creature was helping him and why it kept staring outside. Perhaps it was waiting for its tamer to return–

"Wait…" Naruto stared at the sunlight beaming in.

How long had he been out for?

"Excuse me!" He shouted in panic. The weasel slowly turned his head. "Sorry, do you know how long I've slept for?"

"A day," was the instant response he received.

"A day?" The kid cried. "Then that means it ends at sunset!" The weasel stared at the human who began to mumble words that didn't make any sense.

_'Naruto…'_ The weasel quietly whispered the name of the blond inside his mind. Although the human's appearance was very similar to the man he knew, his personality apparently was very different. As the large weasel watched the boy sort out his inner conflicts, his head snapped up, catching a very familiar scent within the light breeze.

"What's wrong?" The blond asked, noticing how the furred ears of the Shoukanjuu were perked up in alarm. The weasel glanced down to the boy and parted its muzzle to reply when the cave suddenly began to shake.

"What is that?" Naruto asked as small pieces of rocks fell from the ceiling. The shaking continued on and a heavy dragging sound could be heard. The human teen glanced over to the weasel that didn't seem the least surprised. They stayed in silence as they waited for the shaking to pass.

Once it did, a soft voice of a female suddenly came from outside.

"Itachi-sama!" Whoever had spoken sounded breathless and even wheezing for air.

Naruto turned only to have his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the sight of a giant head of a _slug_ hanging upside down from the entrance of the cave. The blond's jaw fell when the slug began to crawl inside, revealing to be just as large as the weasel.

"Katsuyu-san," the weasel greeted as the slug scaled down the wall, leaving that same loud, trembling sound in her wake.

"My apologies…for…being late!" The slug panted heavily with its antenna-like eyes drooping down as she struggled to catch her breath.

"No. Thank you very much for being able to come at such short notice," the weasel said politely and respectfully.

Naruto, who couldn't say anything in the situation, simply stared. _'Are all A-ranks this huge?' _He was curious, but didn't dare to question it out the slug's eyes suddenly turned his way, a loud gasp escaped her small mouth. The blond shifted uncomfortably as the next moment he found the slug right in his face, studying him; Naruto seemed not so tired anymore.

"It can't be…," she mumbled. It was obvious that the slug was speaking to herself, but its voice had come out quite loud in the silence. "It can't—b-but it is!"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, not enjoying how the slug was examining him.

"Itachi-sama…" Whatever the slug was about to say, her voice had trailed off when her eyes met with the blood red ones.

Anxiously looking between the two Shoukannjuus, Naruto tried to understand the silent messages that were being exchanged, but failed.

"I understand," the slug mumbled softly, "I will get to work right away."

"Wait! Work with what?" Naruto watched as a smaller version of the slug grew out from the body of the large one. With a jump, the small slug flew into the air and landed onto the soft, dark fur. It began to slither towards the teen, leaving a trail of slime in her wake.

"Please hold still. I won't hurt you," the small slug said when Naruto tried to edge away from her. The blond stared at the gastropod. Despite the Shoukanjuu's appearance, her voice was soft in kindness. Neither of them seemed like they meant any harm. If they wanted to get rid of him, then they wouldn't need to go through so much trouble.

When the slimy creature crawled over his bare skin, Naruto involuntarily shivered. Goosebumps crawled over his skin and to be honest, the contact with the slimy creature wasn't exactly pleasant. When the small slug had fully attached herself to him, the blond noticed a green glow of chakra began to emit from her body and into his. Naruto recognized the hue of the chakra and when he felt his pain began to dull, he knew that the Shoukanjuu was healing him.

"Thank you." He smiled gratefully. If the slug had a proper face, he was sure she would be smiling too.

"You're welcome," she replied and continued with her work.

Naruto stared at the miniature creature lying on top of him. Now that he had a closer look, he felt as though he had seen the slug somewhere before. But that shouldn't be possible since the Shoukanjuus he ever came in contact with were the ones back in his village, and he was sure that no one had a gastropod.

"I see you have given him first aid, Itachi-sama." Naruto glanced up at the giant slug as she began to exchange small talks with the weasel.

_'Itachi.'_ Naruto wanted to smile at how fitting that name was.

"It has really been a long time." The larger slug sighed.

"It has," the weasel replied in an even tone. "How are Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama?"

The teen blinked at the two names. _'Jiraiya and Tsunade?'_ Now those were names he was definitely sure he had heard before. But where?

"Jiraiya-sama is traveling across the lands as usual so his whereabouts are unknown. But I do believe he is well; I have heard from Gamabunta-kun that he just published his fourth book. Tsunade-sama is currently in Yu no Kuni* with Shizune-sama on a vacation."

"I am glad to hear that they are well."

"Tsunade-sama greatly misses you, Itachi-sama. They will be returning back to the village very soon. She was hoping that you could meet up with her for–"

"Ah!" Naruto's sudden outburst broke off the slug's sentence as the two gigantic Shoukanjuus turned to the small human.

"By Tsunade and Jiraiya, do you mean those S-rank Shoukanjuus?!" He shouted, finally able to recall where he had heard their names. And now that he remembered, Naruto realized why the gastropod, Katsuyu, seemed so familiar. She looked just like Tsunade's Shoukanjuu form he saw in Haku's book, only that Katsuyu has blue stripes, not yellow.

"So you have heard of them?" The smaller slug on his body asked. Naruto glanced between the larger slug and the smaller one, not sure which to reply to.

"Er…kind of. I read their names in a book."

"Then you must be a Tamer," the larger slug said.

"Well, no, I'm kind of taking an exam right now to become one," Naruto replied before he froze, remembering how the ones he was talking to were the very Shoukanjuus that any Tamers would go crazy trying to seal. Surely these two Shoukanjuu would have developed very negative views on Tamers…?

"You are referring to the exam where you capture your first Shoukanjuu?" The weasel suddenly asked. Not trusting his voice, Naruto swallowed thickly and reply with a hesitant nod.

"That's amazing, to be able to catch Shoukanjuu at your age." Naruto turned his wide eyes to the smaller Katsuyu. He couldn't believe what he had heard. The Shoukanjuu was _complimenting_ him, the person aiming to be a Tamer to capture them?

"Umm…aren't you guys angry?" He asked cautiously, trying to be careful with his words. One wrong step would be over for him. "I mean…I'm trying to be a, well, _Tamer_," he stressed the keyword, hoping for his message to get across.

"You think we hate Tamers?" Itachi questioned.

"Tamers are what keep both worlds balanced," Katsuyu said as she stilled her head to show her confusion. "Why would we hate them?"

"Balanced?" Naruto looked between the two. "What do you mean by balanced?"

"You don't know?" Mini-Katsuyu asked. "Shoukanjuus from D-rank to B-rank are unfortunately very weak. There are very few born with the ability to manipulate elements through chakra, and there are even fewer with a higher intelligence."

"But I thought B-ranks can use elemental jutsus."

"Yes, but they do not have access to their full powers due to their lower intelligence. The reason they are able to manipulate their elements is merely based off of their survival instincts," the larger Katsuyu explained, "If this continues, sooner or later, the higher ranking Shoukanjuus would become extinct. Once that happens, B-ranks will stand on top of the food chain. Without competition, they will grow weak and follow the previous higher ranks into extinction. That is why Tamers are important to our world. There are only a handful of us born with higher intelligence, but humans are a different story. They are all naturally intelligent, that's why they are able to fully access all the secrets in the chakra system. They pass their knowledge onto the Shoukanjuus they've made contracts with, allowing them to grow in ranks and even teach them human speech. Once the human dies or when the contract is void, the Shoukanjuus will live their own lives and produce heirs which they can then teach the knowledge they had learned from the Tamers. In return for intelligence, the Shoukanjuu provide humans with various services."

"In the past, things were much different than now." Naruto shifted his gaze to the weasel. "Long ago, there were rarely any C-ranks or D-ranks. They were all powerful, but they lacked the intelligence to control those powers. Shoukanjuus in those times were simply the symbol of destruction. They foolishly fought one another for dominance and destroyed the lands. If not for the appearance of the Sage of Six Paths, we would not be living in such a peaceful era."

"I see!" Naruto smiled cheerfully. "That's a relief. I always afraid that you would…you know, hate them."

"It's not like we like all Tamers," Katsuyu replied, "There are good Shoukanjuus and bad Shoukanjuus, just as there are good humans and bad humans. That is why our world and yours are able to keep balance. The good Tamers, the ones you call, hmm, was it Blacklist Hunter?"

"It's Bounty Hunter," the teen corrected.

"Ah, yes. Bounty Hunter." The slug nodded. "They take care of this own kinds who abuse Shoukanjuus and use them to commit crimes. In our world, a Shoukanjuu who acts too violently will be taken care of by our own kind. It would also go vice versa with Tamers sealing the violent Shoukanjuu and Shoukanjuu taking care of bad tamer."

"I never knew they helped each other out like that," Naruto said before shivering upon feeling the smaller version of Katsuyu detaching her slimy body from him.

"It's done," Mini-Katsuyu said as she leapt off Itachi's tail and made her way back to her main body. Naruto blinked, giving a quick look over his own limbs before he slowly sat up. When he felt no pain, he pulled the bandages off his left arm that was supposedly broken and moved it around.

"It's healed!" He shouted in delight. Remembering his manner, he quickly turned to the slug and gave her his most grateful thanks.

"You should thank Itachi-sama." Katsuyu looked over to her companion. "It is because of his first aid that your body is in such a good condition."

"I have limited knowledge in the medical field. I didn't do anything," Itachi politely argued, but Naruto just smiled and gave the weasel his appreciation. The slug giggled at the joyfulness of the human as the weasel's tail, which had still been wrapped around Naruto, slowly lowered the boy onto the ground.

"Your clothes should be dried," Itachi informed. A dark blush swept over Naruto's face when he realized for the first time that he was stark naked. Looking down in embarrassment, he hurried over to his pile of clothes while the two Shoukanjuus resumed their conversation as though nothing was wrong.

The blond crouched down by his garments and picked up his pants. He winced at how filthy and torn they were. When he first wore them, they were practically brand new, and now they resembled the rag he used to wipe the floor back home. Heaving out a sigh, Naruto knew he couldn't be picky, so he hurriedly put them on.

After he pulled the ruined shirt over his head and tugged at the collar to fit it, he caught sight of something sticking out from behind a rock pillar. When he leaned over, he discovered another set of clothes that were very different than his own.

"Huh?" The blond walked over and picked up a shirt that was a larger size than his. "Why are there other clothes here?" He whispered almost inaudibly to himself. He glanced to the two Shoukanjuus. There was no way any of them could wear clothes.

"But both Tsunade-sama and Shizune-sama miss you greatly." Naruto found himself unable to help but listen back to the Shoukanjuu's conversation as he carefully put the clothes back down. The blond recalled the blurry image of the stranger and wondered if these Shoukanjuus had a Tamer after all. However, from their conversation and everything, it didn't seem to be the case.

"I will visit them, but now isn't the right time. Please give my regards when you see them," the weasel said, his voice portraying no emotions.

"Itachi-sama…" The slug seemed as though she wanted to say more, but stopped and instead turned to human boy. "Oh, please pardon my rudeness. I have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Katsuyu."

"Ah…" The blond scratched the back of his head, already knowing the slug's name through their conversation. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He waved a little at the awkward, late introduction.

"Uzumaki?" The slug questioned. Her eyes that were sticking out pulled together as she paused in a moment of silence before seeming to gather herself again. "Naruto-kun, you're from the Uzumaki clan?"

"Yep!" The boy nodded. "My mother was an Uzumaki. She was a pretty well-known Bounty Hunter. At least, that's what I've been told."

"I see." Katsuyu nodded. "I always thought that Uzumakis are identified through their red hair though"

"Yeah." Naruto laughed light-heartedly and faked disappointment. "Unfortunately, I take after my dad. I think I would look pretty good with red hair." As Naruto made his joke, he never noticed the hint of sadness that shadowed over Itachi's eyes when he heard the boy's words.

"I see. You have quite the rare blood in you. There aren't many Uzumakis nowadays after their village had been destroyed," Katsuyu said, "You must know a lot of seals then, Naruto-kun?"

"Well…no, not really. There's still a lot I'm trying to–" Naruto stiffened at the remembrance of seals. With his body completely recovered from injuries, he ran to the mouth of the cave and saw how high up the sun was in the sky.

"Ah! The exam ends at sunset and I haven't prepared anything!"

"You should forget about it," the black Shoukanjuu said, "The Shoukanjuus in this area are all B-ranks. You will only die if you step out."

"B-ranks?" Naruto's eyes widened in horror. Just how far did the river carry him?

"T-that's…" The blond glanced at the sun, then to the peaceful looking forest below. He didn't have time to go back and if he used the teleportation scroll, then he'd just end up failing and that would only make everyone believe that he really was the cheater Fusao accused him of being! He didn't want that, not after what Kakashi and Izumo did for him. He didn't want to see that disappointed look from Iruka, or his only two friends who were cheering him on.

"Naruto-kun. Do you have any method of returning to your village?" Itachi asked.

"…I have a teleportation scroll," Naruto replied as he glanced down at his backpack in his hands. He pulled down the zipper and there it was: the teleportation scroll, safe and sound without even a scratch on it. It would seem that Kakashi wasn't lying about the barrier placed over it.

"Then use it to return," the weasel said, and blue eyes opened wide at his words.

"What?" The blond stared up at the Shoukanjuu who almost seemed as though he were waiting for the blond to activate the seal and return to his village.

"I can't!" He gasped, "If I use it, my exam–!"

"Judging from your age, the exam you speak of should be the capture of your first Shoukanjuu, the Seal of Bond, correct?" Naruto stared at Itachi for a moment before he sluggishly replied with a light nod.

"The goal of the Seal of Bond is to tame a C-rank. I can sense that you hold an unusually large amount of chakra due to your clan's bloodline, but you cannot fully utilize it. With your current ability, capturing a B-rank is impossible. Unless you wish to die in this forest, I advise you to return to your village and retake it next year."

"I can't do that!" The blond argued. Itachi's eyes narrowed at the strange worry, and even panic, in his voice. "You don't understand, I–…just because this place is for B-ranks doesn't mean there's no C-rank around right?"

The giant blue gastropod shifted as she looked at Itachi, then to the human boy. "There certainly could be C-ranks, but–" She tried to speak, but the blond wasn't listening. He was continuing in his strange rambling.

"Maybe if I can find some I'll be able to–"

"Naruto-kun," Itachi said firmly, and the instant his name was spoken, the teen became silent. He stared up to the Shoukanjuu's hypnotizing eyes that didn't allow him the option of looking away. Katsuyu stared between the two, feeling a very uncomfortable tension beginning to form. She quietly backed away to give them room, knowing that whatever her companion would discuss, it wasn't her place to interfere.

"What is your purpose for attending this exam?" Itachi questioned, the coldness in his voice causing the child to flinch.

"T-to catch a Shoukanjuu." The blond couldn't help but stutter at the pressure seeping from the large weasel.

"Why?"

"Because…" Naruto hesitated. He briefly wondered why the Shoukanjuu would ask him something like that when it should be obvious.

"I want to become a Tamer." It was true. That's why he came to this exam, so he could graduate from the Academy. But if that was true, why did Naruto feel something was off with this response? He didn't know what it was, but that wasn't the right answer, and he knew it. That wasn't the answer in his heart…and definitely wasn't the one the Shoukanjuu was waiting to hear. Not daring to look up to the weasel, Naruto stared at the ground. A droplet of sweat rolled down from his forehead as he felt the air around him beginning to tense.

Itachi was silent. His scarlet eyes examined the young boy before he continued with his questions. "Do you know why the capture of a Tamer's very first Shoukanjuu is known as the Seal of Bond?"

"That's because the first seal is the only seal you engrave on your body, and it allows the Shoukanjuu to become a part of you," the blond replied, "It's the only contract formed through the bonds of the soul rather than the usual blood."

"That is correct." The Shoukanjuu's gaze softened as he glanced to the sparrows that were still hanging around at the opening of the cave. "However, there is more to it. The Seal of Bond is a very special ritual for both the Tamer and the Shoukanjuu. The Shoukanjuu is sealed within your mindscape, allowing you to draw out its power and freely call it to your side without the need of summoning seals and chakra. It can be only performed once with the very first Shoukanjuu you seal. Your body will be able to adapt to the Shoukanjuu's chakra, allowing you to draw out the Shoukanjuu's power. Once the human body grows used to a certain chakra, sealing another Shoukanjuu into your mindscape would simply destroy your chakra system due to your inability to keep adapting."

Naruto stared at Itachi. He could recall all these from the lessons with Iruka, but he couldn't figure out what the Shoukanjuu was trying to say.

Knowing that his message was not getting across, Itachi dipped his head so that he was a mere meter from the blond. "The Seal of Bond connects the hearts of the human and Shoukanjuu. It is a sacred contract that many ignorant humans saw as simply tools, and wasted. It can only be performed once in your lifetime. It's not to be used for the mere purpose of simply passing an exam," crimson eyes narrowed, "or to prove one's ability."

At that last sentence, Naruto froze as he finally realized what the other was trying to tell him.

"Shoukanjuu are not tools. They are living creatures just like humans. I will ask you again, Uzumaki Naruto." The weasel towered over the boy. "What is your purpose of entering this exam?"

"I–…" Naruto thought back to those many times he would waste standing in front of the pet shop looking at the Shoukanjuus. He remembered the times he interacted with Koyuki, and chased Pakkun around for stealing the pork in his ramen. Then finally, he recalled the night he spent looking through the book Haku lent him. He could remember the smile he had when he was excitedly looking through all those pictures of the beautiful creatures.

"I wanted a friend," the blond whispered.

There it was—the answer that had always been inside his heart. He couldn't believe it. How could he have forgotten something so important? After what happened back at the Academy, Naruto became so blinded with proving his innocence that he nearly tossed away the reason why he had worked so hard to come to where he was.

"I want a friend—a partner." Naruto spoke louder, his voice becoming surer with each word. He looked up, cerulean eyes meeting crimson ones bravely. He recalled the warmth over Haku and Gaara's faces when they spoke of their Shoukanjuus. He remembered the stories Enma would always tell him of the Sandaime Hokage and his Shoukanjuu. He remembered the lonely silence when he ate and how empty his home always seemed no matter what he did to try and brighten the place up.

"I want someone I can call family."

A low rumble was emitted from the weasel's long, slender throat. It wasn't a threatening one, nor did it sound displeased. In fact, it was just the opposite. The weasel was content with his reply.

"I understand the importance of this exam to you, Naruto-kun," Katsuyu said as Naruto turned to see the slug slowly making her way back to them. "However, please keep in mind that this area you are in is filled with B-ranks. If Itachi-sama says so, then you are no match against them. I'm afraid we can't allow you to recklessly leave knowing you would be killed." She tiled her eyes down to properly look at the blond.

"B-but…" Naruto wanted to argue, but now that his head had been cleared, thanks to Itachi's words, he knew Katsuyu was right. B-ranks were extremely dangerous. He didn't even know how he'd fair against a C-rank let alone something even higher that had the ability of using an elemental jutsu.

"It would be fine if we went along with him, wouldn't it, Itachi-sama?" The slug asked. "This is a rare chance. I have always wanted to see how the Seal of Bond is performed."

"Go with me?" Naruto asked, trying to confirm if he had heard right. He glanced between the two large Shoukanjuus, but mainly to Itachi who remained drowned in silence.

"Itachi-sama," Katsuyu spoke again, but the black furred Shoukanjuu turned away. Those sharp, crimson eyes continued to stare at the two tiny sparrows playing in the distance. It wasn't until the birds flew away that he came out from his trance and stared at the human boy from the corner of his eyes.

"Very well," he replied, much to the blond's surprised delight.

"Really? You guys would do that?" Naruto smiled wider when the weasel reinforced his answer with a single nod of his head. "Thank you so much!" The blond shouted with a low bow, causing Katsuyu to giggle even more.

"You're very welcome, Naruto-kun," she said before a loud grumble suddenly echoed throughout the cave. The two Shoukanjuus stared at the teen who was flushing in embarrassment, holding onto his stomach that was twisting in pain.

"When was the last time you ate?" The slug asked in concern, but it was Itachi who replied.

"I found him yesterday at noon. He only woke shortly before your arrival, Katsuyu-san."

"Oh my," Katsuyu said with a light gasp. "That isn't good for your body, especially when you're still growing. I will send some of my clones to gather some food, but you're in a hurry for the exam, aren't you?"

"Eh?" Naruto blinked before he nervously glanced at the sun still hanging in the sky. "Well…actually, I have to redraw my seal."

"I thought you were supposed to have your seal prepared," the slug said as she tilted her head to show her confusion.

"It was–…it's a long story." The blond sighed, not really feeling up to sharing what had happened.

Both Shoukanjuus saw his discomfort, so they didn't press on. The large weasel slowly pulled himself onto his paws, taking care as to not hit the roof of the cave.

"Katsuyu-san." Itachi turned to the blue slug. "It's better if you leave a clone here. With your size you will scare off the lower ranks. During the time while Naruto-kun draws the seal, please allow me to escort you out of this area. It's the least I can do after calling you here."

"Thank you very much, Itachi-sama. I think I will take you up on your offer," Katsuyu said in relief as Naruto watched a human-sized form of Katsuyu leap out from her main body. "I really appreciate your offer. It's indeed quite a long way for me to go with my speed."

_'Escort?'_ The young Uzumaki stared at the huge weasel. By escort, did Itachi mean that he was going to carry the slug back? Even though both Shoukanjuu were roughly the same height, there was an obvious difference in terms of weight. Itachi was very slender, being a weasel, and Katsuyuu was…rounded out. Strangely, that issue didn't seem to bother either of them. Itachi dipped his head in a low crouch. Naruto watched in interest, wondering what he was doing when the weasel suddenly vanished before his eyes.

Blue eyes dilated after witnessing the speed of the weasel, which might have even exceeded Haku's, before a strong blast of wind slammed against him. The blond quickly threw his arms protectively in front of his head while gathering chakra to his feet to prevent himself from being knocked to the ground.

Once the strong wind faded away, Naruto lowered his arms. He opened his eyes, only to be faced with the darkness.

"What is this?" Naruto mumbled to himself as he looked around. His eyes took a few seconds before they were able to adjust to the darkness. Once his vision cleared up a little, he turned to where the opening of the cave should have been and found a wall there.

"Don't worry," Katsuyu said when she noticed the boy's tenseness. "It's only–" She stopped in mid-sentence when the wall began to move away, letting the light back inside so they could see properly again.

Naruto winced at the blinding light, but forced himself to keep his eyes open as he studied the black wall and found it to be covered with…fur? "Don't tell me…!" He hurried over to the larger Katsuyu who was waiting at the mouth of the cave. When he looked out, he nearly screamed at an even larger form of the black weasel whose height was now twice as what it should have been.

"I-it couldn't be…," Naruto trailed off, not knowing how he should finish that question as he turned to the giant slug.

"Yes. That is Itachi-sama's real form." Katsuyu confirmed his suspicion. "Though usually, he takes up smaller forms for convenience." The slug shifted further against the edge when Itachi crouched down. With a jump, Katsuyu flew out of the cave. There was a loud, heavy sound of impact from the slug's massive weight onto Itachi's back, but the weasel didn't seem as though he felt it.

Sparing only a quick glance to the dumbfounded blond, the large, black Shoukanjuu kicked off the ground, sending an even more powerful blast of wind into the cave that successfully threw the human back a couple meters. Thankfully, Katsuyu's clone reacted quickly by jumping in and catching him with her slime-covered body.

"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" The clone Katsuyu asked, but her words fell deaf to the blond's ear. Naruto lay against Katsuyu, staring out of the cave with a single question spinning inside his head.

Were A-rank Shoukanjuus supposed to be _that_ big?

* * *

Yu no Kuni – Hidden Hot Spring Village

* * *

A/N: I am very sorry for leaving this story for as long as I did. I'm really thankful to all the wonderful reviews everyone left. It's my first time having so many reviews for only one chapter so I have to say, I'm blown away and is really happy about all this. I also have to thank _EmelyeUchiha_ who kindly agreed to beta this story and to the people who added this story into their communities. It's also the first time my story got chosen into a community so that's another thing I must thank you of.

I didn't mean to put this story on hold for so long, but the story Morning Orchid is taking up longer than I had hoped… plus the fact that I took a small vacation from writing to deal with the pressure of schoolwork. I'm still hoping to get my other story done before I get to this, but I honestly can't be sure how long that'll take anymore so I'm happy to announce that this story will officially start. While Morning Orchid will have a higher priority, I can't leave this story for another eight months.

However, due to the fact that each chapter of Seal of Bond are fairly long, I can't give anyone a promised update time. All I can tell you is that I'll try my best on it, so I hope everyone look forward to it =)

Also as a side note, the rating has been changed from "M" to "T". I will change back the rating as the story progresses.


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